This afternoon, I took advantage of the sun by laying outside and downing two cans of La Croix. Instead of getting a glowy tan, I got a handful of new freckles on my face. The rest of my body is just as pasty and doughy as before. It’s 96°F in my neck of the woods, and the only thing I want to eat is salad.

I’m into contrasting colors and contrasting flavors. In a jar, I mixed white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, a few black peppercorns, and a smashed clove of garlic. Then, I sliced a red onion into thin rings and placed them in a sieve. To par-cook the onion, I poured boiling water over the sieve. I stuffed the onion slices into the jar and let it cool to room temp before chilling the jar in the fridge. The onions go from a dull purple to bright pink within an hour. I could eat pickled onions by themselves.

I washed a bundle of curly kale and separated the ribs from the leaves. Then, I used a sandwich bag as a makeshift glove, and massaged the following into the kale: olive oil, lemon juice, whole grain mustard, sesame paste, salt, and sugar. Massaging kale seriously makes a difference. If you’ve ever had raw kale that wasn’t massaged first, you’re probably lying if you say you enjoyed it. Massaging each leaf really helps break down the tough texture and gives your jaws a break. It’s cool to see the leaves get darker and more tender. After massaging, my bundle of kale reduced to half the original volume.

I drained and rinsed a can of great northern beans and tossed them into the salad, along with shaved parmesan/asiago/romano cheese. I also chopped up some orange honey almonds, my favorite farmers market find. One of the best parts of massaged kale salads is that the leftovers are even tastier than eating it fresh! This will be my lunch for the next few work days 👍👍.